Game.



J. GREENE.

GAMB.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 1e. 1912.

1,061,173. Patented May 6, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

RED BLUE GREEN PURPLE l arromvfrs UNXTE'D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GREENE, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

GAME.

To all fic/0m it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN GREENE, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State ofUtah, have invented a new and Improved (iame of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to game apparatus and has particular reference tothis character ot apparatus in making use of a board having a pluralityof grooves or channels and a plurality of movable members or disksarranged in a number of sets of diierent colors.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which likecharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,andin which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention showing the partsin one possible position ready for the solution of the game to be begun,the cover of the box being removed; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing theparts in the position which they may assume after the solution has beenpartially completed; Fig. 3 shows the same 1n the final position or withthe disks in the position aimed at in the solution or completion of thegame; Fig. fl is a longitudinal section of the box, with the cover inplace, on the line 4--1 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section ot thesame on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3; and Fig. (3 is a diagram indicating thecolors ot the several sets of disks.

The term disks herein used `for conven ience of description of themovable parts or .men is to be interpreted as being broad enough tocover any form or construction ot' such devices, and the colorssuggested for the same may be varied as desired, the essential beingthat the several sets of disks should bear distinguishing colors.

More specitically described, the game apparatus comprises acomparatively flat box. having a smooth 'flat bottom a, side walls 7),end walls c and a top d. The side and end walls are preferably rabbetedas shown at e so as to make a reliable seat for the top.

The interior ot the box is divided longitudinally into a plurality ofparallel sections which extend from one end thereotl toward the otherend. The manner of dividing said space or interior ot the box which lprefer to employ is shown in the drawings as com- Specication of LettersPatent.

Application filed October 16, 1912.

Patented May 6, 191.3.

Serial No. 726,056.

prising a series of ribs preferably arranged as follows. The ribs fbeing two in number at each side oil the box extend 'from the endthereof approximately two-thirds of the distance toward the other end.ln addition to the ribs j there are provided a series ol shorter ribs gextending from the same end toward the other end but stopping short otthe length oi the ribs All ot the ribs are preferably equally spacedfrom one another and from the sides ot' the box to accommodate the diskstof which there are eniployed in this instance four sets ot twelve each,the disks of each set being consecu tively numbered 1 to 12, and thefour sets being distinguished by characteristic colors. The .length ot'the ribs and their arrangement with respect to the sides of the box aresuch as to accommodate all of the disks Vin the grooves f thereof, asshown in Fig. 3. The length ot' the short ribs g is such as to provideaccommodation for all ot' the disks therein in eight channels or groovesg, as shown in Fig. 1.

A pair of gates 'i extend through the sides Z) of the box and arepivoted therein at i', the longer portions of the gates extending withinthe box and in one position they serve to guard the grooves f. rlheouter and shorter ends of the gates are adapted to be engaged by theoperators lingers, whereby he may hold the gates in their closedposition while manipulating the box prepa `atory to the operation ot'the game. The interior ot' the box should be but slightly deeper thanthe thickness ol the disks and the height ot the ribs f and g should besullicient to cause the disks to be properly guided into the severalgrooves as intended.

lVith the apparatus constructed and arranged as above described, theoperation of the game may be briefly described substantially as follows:With the top nl in place and so held by the opei'ato1"s thumbs and withone of the lingers ol. each hand applied to the respective gates, thedisks when located in the open space or leld y' ot' the box may becaused to lill the grooves y or spaces between the ribs g upon holdingthe box in a vertical or substantially vertical position and tilting itlaterally several times in succession. The arrangement ot' the gates t',as shown in Fig. l, is such as to cause the disks to be directed overand away troni the open ends ot the grooves f. lt will, ol course, heurulerstood that the disks will all be placed in the boX right side up,and when so placed and the top being held iny placethe disks may becaused to occupy the field upon tilting the field end of the boxdownwardlv,`-

and any disks which may occupy the grooves f willv cause the gates z',to swing` openor said gates may be opened by the use of the fingers, ifnecessarv.

With the disks located as suggested in Fig.- 1, the box lying fiati uponaY table, theV topl removedand the gatesv z' swung y open, the y f. Ifany 2, then, of the correspondingcolor be free-to be moved it may be somoved di-y rectly in order uponr` the disk numbered 1 of" the samecolor.- If, however, no disk-maybe movedi'direetly from a-- groove g toits'home infa` groove f', any disks inthe pity 70 compri'singothe setof' grooves vgI may be shifted from its groove into-any other groovein-the piti provided-that it may be placedadjacent any disk of any colorofthe neXt higher denomination. In other words, the shifting ofthe.disks inthe pitmay be performed freely from onegroovetoanother, one diskati a time, so long as the columns so-formedwillhave-th'edisksarranged-in a distinct numericalorder, as shown 1n Fig. 2;Shouldit-be impossible at any time to move either-to `the' home groovesVf or to shift from-onegroove toanotherin thepit 76 withiny thetermsof:`

the rules, the gamexmust be started over;

thati is to say, the top'mustbe replaced and:

the disks driveninto the field y' and reshuffled and assembledin thepit.

Fromy what has been stated in the foregoing description, itwill beunderstood that the several parts ofv` the game may be variouslyformedas to materials or desigmand that the directions for pla-ying maybe enlarged or varied in anV almostv indefinite number. of detailswithout departingl from the spirit: of" the inventionhereinafterclaimed.

As shown in-the drawings, the series of stripes g may be marked upon thebottom of thegame board, each stripe being acont-innation of a rib g.The purpose of these stripesv isftofacilitatethe arrangementv ofl thedisksV in rows or columns when such rows or-col umns-eXtend.upward-lybeyond therib's, as indicated in Fig. 2, otherwise the columns ofdisksmight be irregular and render it more difficult in some cases. tosatisfactorilymanipulate the disks. The stripes, however, do

not. interfere in any way with the free sliding mov-ementof thedisksacross the bottom of the field, as above set forth.

I-,Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent.:

l. The herein described game apparatus comprising'abox, the interior ofwhich comprises a series of parallel grooves arranged in. sets and afield; the grooves ofiv one set constitutingapit, a plurality of?diskswithin the boXand-shiftabletherein, anda-plurality of`guidesserving to-guard certain of the grooves so that the disks may notEenter therein.

2. The herein described game apparatus comprising aflat box, a4plur-alityl of ribs extend-ing longitudinally therein from one endtoward the other, said4 ribs-beingof" differentv lengths,L the longerAribsA beingV ar`- ranged adjacent the sides 4of the box, a-- pluralityof disks -w-ithinthe box'v and g offa thick ness substantiallyequivalent to the depth ofl' the inner Space thereof,yandmeans-controllablefromthe'exterior-of the box to prevent the disksfrein passing between the-- ribsI comprising the longerset of ribs.

3. In a game apparatus, thecombination-V of a flat boX, means within theboxV forming the interiorfspace into aplurality of 'parbon` towardtheother, certain of said' grooves being shorterl than the remaining'Igrooves.V

and constituting a pit, a-plurality ofi Vdisks approximatingin thicknessthe depthv ofi-the interior ofithe box-and freely shiftable along thebottom ofi theboX, and movableimeanscontrollable from the exterioroflthelbox. tocause tliedisks to oceupysaidfpitl andlfill'fthei groovesrpertaining thereto.

4. Thevherein described game apparatus: comprisingr` a fiat box, aplurality.` of ribs.

within the boxevtending` parallelto one'` an other fromone endthereoftowardilt'heother end, certain of said ribs adjacent thelsidesofthe box-fbeinglongerA than'` the othersA and forminghome grooves,theother-f of'r said ribs constituting a pit, a series ofi differentlycolored sets of disks within the box and shiftable freely along-thebottom thereof, one."- set of' disks being? adapted to each. of! said?`home grooves, and means controllablefrom' the outside of the. box. to;direct the disks.

away from thehome grooves andl intonthe pitpreparatory tothe'operationofythe game-L.

"npiesgcfths patentA may be, obtained' for live. cents each,byaddressing the i Commissioner of latentsf Washington, D. 0..

